Printing device construction



Feb. 4, 1964 w. T. CLARK PRINTING DEVICE CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1960 4 Illlii IU 40 FJ/za l.

INVENTOR. WvsLow 7: 092K Feb. 4, 1964 w. T. CLARK 3,120,177

PRINTING DEVICE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 25, 196C 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

WNSLOW L20/@K rroE/VEYS.

Feb. 4, 1964 w. T. CLARK 3,120,177

PRINTING DEVICE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 25, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ifo.

INVENTOR. WA/sLow 7.4 2A/@K rraeA/Eys.

United States Patent Olice 3,120,177 Patented Feb. 4, 1964 3,.2=a,77 .EJEQE Clalltiltliil Winslow 'ill Elink, Pasadena, assigner to Adolph Gotseho, line., lillsirl-e, N5., a corporation or" New York Filed .l'nly 2S, i969, Ser. No. @5,121 i3 Claims. l. lill-4i) The present invention relates ygenerally to printing or marking devices and particularly describes such a mechanism including a reciprocable printing type element and a strip of colored tape containing the marking pigment extending across the type face and movable between supply and takeup spools or bobbins.

The present device tinds partcula application in use with packaging machinery such las machines for wrapping bread or similar articles in sheet material such as cellophane or waxed paper. in a preferred form of the invention there is provided a clamping bracket adapted to be selectively clamped upon a support sleeve or similar fixed portion or a wrapping machine. The sleeve has a rotatably journaled driving spindle adapted to be rotated by the mechanism of the macmne at a speed proportional to the speed of the litems passing through and being wrapped by the machine. The clamping bracket has xed thereto a plurality of elongated parallel rods which support a framework spaced from the mounting bracket by any desired distance to accommodate the particular wrapping machine with which the present device may be used. The framework thus supported by the elongated rods includes means for mounting the printing machine proper in accordance with the present invention. A shaft is rotatably journaled in the framework to supply power to the printer mechanism and is coupled with the driving shaft or spindle rotatably journaled in the support sleeve, the driving shaft being referably' hollow or tubular in order to receive `an end portion of the printer shaft in coaxial relation. Desirably the connection between the two shafts is by a key or the like permitting the printer shaft to move longitudinally relative to the driving shaft. With this construction, and with Ithe clamping bracket being clampable upon the support sleeve at a selected point therealong, the entire printer can be positioned as desired within a relatively wide range in order to produce the printed impression 0r mark at the correct point on the sheet material being processed by the wrapping machine.

The `framework provides means for mounting an elongated printing head and it in reciprocating manner during operation, and also supports supply and takeup spools for pigmented strip tape as well as tape transport mechmism intermittently actuated by the printer shaft to transport the tape bet 'een successive printing impressions of the printing head. The lower end ot the printer head carries a type element having a suitable type face for producing the desired letter, numeral or other symbol on the sheet material handled by the wrapping machine, and means may be provided for electrically heating the printer head and type element when the particular pigmented tape so requires.

'he printer shaft is connected to the takeup spo-ol to urge the latter into rotation, and desirably friotional clutch means are provided in this connection with means for selectively adjusting the amount of friction imposed on the mechanism so that proper tension is always maintained on the tape despite its intermittent movement. The supply and takeup spools are coaxially mounted in adjacent relation to facilitate resupply and servicing of the tape even though the printer may be located in a relatively inaccessible part of a bread wrapping machine, and a guideway inclined to the perpendicular of the common spool axis is provided to facilitate initial threading of the tape under cramped conditions. The takeup spool hub embodies novel features of construction also to facilitate the resupply and threading operation in limited space.

It is `accordingly a principal object of the present invention to disclose a novel printing or marking device for use in connection with wrapping or similar processing machinery. Additional objects and purposes of the invention are to provide a device of the character referred lto of very 'compact construction and including means permitting longitudinal adjustment of the device axially or the shaft conveying power thereto; to disclose in such a device means for `affording a guideway for a pigmented strip or tape of unusual simplicity and compactness whereby both the supply and the takeup spools are coaxially mounted to contribute further to the compactness of the arrangement; `to disclose novel tape-attaching construction for use with the takeup spool of the device; to disclose such a marking device wherein the tape drive means includes frictional clutch means; and for other and additional objects and purposes as will be understood kfrom a study of the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 .is a plan view of -a marking device in accordance with the present invention including, fragmentarily shown, a portion of a wrapping machine or similar mechanism to which the device is attached and a gear for power takeoff as irom the main wrapping machinery mechanism.

FlG. 2 is an end elevational view of the device of FIG. l looking along the arrows ll-ll of FIG. 1, the printing head having just passed its lowermost printing position.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View taken along the line lll-lll of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. l.

FiG. 5 is a View of the clamping bracket taken as indicated by the arrows V-V of FlG. 3.

VFlG. 6 is a sectional view of the supply and takeup spools taken on the broken line VI-Vl of FlG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the takeup spool construction, the hub portion land the tape retainer being shown in relatively unfolded relation.

FlG. 8 is an exploded view of the takeup spool drive mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings and first to FG. '1 thereof, a marking printer embodying the present invention is indicated generally at lo and is supported by a number or" parallel rods, there being four such rods or through bolts l2, i3, 14 and l5 in the present illustrative embodiment (see PEG. 5). These rods are in turn supported upon a mounting bracket indicated generally at le which is provided with a central aperture 1S adapted to encircle a generally cylindrical structural member indieate generally at Ztl which may include a mounting ilange 22 (see FIG. 3) attachable by any suitable means 23 to a xed portion 24 of the machine with which the present printer is to be used. The bracket 16 is desirably biurcated having two portions 26 and 27. A clamping screw indicated generally at 2d yand having ya manually actuated handle 29 is threadedly received in a threaded bore formed in bifurcated portion 26. lt will be seen that tightening of the handle 29 will cause the two bifurcated portions 2d and 27 of the bracket lo to be clamped upon the cylindrical member Ztl by effectively flexing about the juncture portion 3l and thus locking the bracket relative to the cylindrical member. Means are provided for positively locking the bracket 16 against rotation relative to the cylindrical member 2li and such means in the present illustration take the form of a keyway 32 and a 3 cooperating key 34 received between the sections 26 and 27 of the bracket in their upper portions.

Power takeo means me provided in the present invention-for driving the printing mechanism during operation and in the present embodiment such means includeY a main shaft indicated generally at 36 Vand adapte-:l to be Vconnected to a hollow driving shaft 38 rotatably journaled Within the cylindrical structural member 2%. 'Ihe hollow driving shaft 38 is driven as through gear 45 by a suitable source of rotational power in timed relation with the wrapping machine or the like with which the present printer is used. The main shaft 36 is desirably keyed to the hollow driving shaft 3S by a conventional key 4?. as seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the key being received in keyways 43 and 44 of the shafts 36 and 33 respectively. In order to facilitate hand turning of lthe main shaft 36 during set up or timing, there may be provided a small knurledY hand wheel indicated generally at 46 and including a -set Ascrew or the like 4S having its inner end received in the keyway 43 of the'shaft 3,6 and thereby locking the wheel 46 against rotation relative to the mainV shaft although preferably permitting the wheel to move longitudinally of the shaft.

A mounting plate indicated generally at Sil and of substantially rectangular form is carried by the support rods 12,13, 14 and y15 and is fastened thereto by suitable means 52.

Laterally spaced as seen in FIG. 1 `from the support rods is an assembly including a counter shaft indicated generally at 69 rotatably journaled at 62 in the plate 5@ and having attached thereto a sheave or pulley 64 which is driven by a ilexible belt or cable 66 from the main shaft 36. As further appears in FIG. 1, surrounding the counter shaft 60 and extending outwardly from the plate 50 is a fixed sleeve 68 having attached to its lower end an enlarged circular iiange 7G. The shaft 6@ projects through the lcenter of the flange 7 0 and has removably attached to its lower end the takeup spool indicated generally at 72 and including a flange 74 with its integral hub 75 (see FIGS. I6 and7) and a second flange 76. The takeup spool 72 is thus mounted immediately adjacent and coaxially with the space deiined -by iiXed flange 70 and movable llange 74, such latter space being available for the supply spool or reel of the pigmented tape, to be later described.

Means are provided, Yas best seen in FIG. 8, for permitting a selectively adjustable amount of rictional slippage between the sheave 64 and counter shaft 6i) duringV operation, in order to maintain proper tension on the pigmented tape at all times despite the intermittent movement of the tape. Sleeve S `is liXed relative to mounting plate 50 and is provided with an inner annular shoulder 81 constituting a lower seat for Vresilient spring 82. At its upper end the spring bears against the lower face of a collar 84 having an upper annular ange S5 and provided with va positioning pin y86 receivable in slotV 8S formed in the upper edge of sleeve 80. Flange 85 in turn bears upwardly against the lower face of sheave 64, and `the upper face of the sheave abuts ange 90 of annular Vretainer indicated generally lat 92 having a set screw or the like 94. When the pants are assembled the set screw seats upon' iiat 9S formed on the .upper portion of counter shaft 69. It will accordingly .be understood that the sheave 64 is effectively frictionally gripped between the anges 8S and 99 by reason of the resilience of spring 82 for torque transmission from the sheave to counter shaft eil, and it will =be seenthat slippage between the sheave and the abutting anges'can be adjusted 1as desired by positioning -retainer 92 longitudinally along counter yshaft `6? prior to tightening set screw 94.

In addition to driving the counter shaft 60 through the belt 66, main shaft 36 serves to actuate means for periodically transporting the pigmented strip tape and also means for moving the printing element itself to printing position at the proper time. A disk indicated generally 4 at 161i (see FIG. 4) is mounted upon the main shaft 36 and includes a small collar portion 99 having a set screw 151 therein for retaining the disk in place. The disk is provided with a recessed guideway or track 11,12 serving as a camming means for moving a follower member 194 which in turn is mounted upon the distal end of an arm 156 which is tired at its other end to a jack-shaft 198. Spaced from such connection along the jack shaft is another arm 111i (see FIG. 2) iixed by suitable means 112 to the shaft 15S and having pivotally attached to a selected point 113 therealong a link 114. The other end of the latter element is pivotally connected to an arm 116 which is rotatably mounted on a pin 113 iiXed to plate 5t?. Also rotatably mounted on pin 11S is a drum 121i having a somewhat roughened surface, and a ratchetV gear 122 is fixed concentrically to the drum and to arm 116, so that rotation of the arm on pin 118 causes similar rotation of the drum and ratchet gear.

A pawl 124 is pivotally mounted near the outer end of the arm 116 and engages the ratchet teeth 122 in conventional manner. it will thus he seen with particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 that rotation of the main'drive shaft 36 causes an oscillatory rocking movement of shaft 163 by reason of the cam and follower arrangement seen in FIG. 4. This oscillatory movement ofrshaft 108 is translated into arcuately reciprocating movement of the arm 116 thereby moving the drum 121i in step-by-step manner by the pawl and ratchet arrangement described.

The actual printing impression made by the present device results from the downward movement of a printing head indicated generally at 131i and having at its lower end a type element 131 provided with a downwardly directed type face 132, the face having any coniiguration of numbers or letters that may be desired for the particular printing operation to be performed. For certain kinds of pigmented tape it may be desirable to heat the printing head, and electrical leads 133 are provided for this purpose, leading to a plug 134 connectible to conventional socket 135. The printing head 1.3i? is pivotally carried on pins 136 and 13S extending between two pairs of parallel arms pivotally mounted on support rods 13 and 15. Thus the upper pair of arms 140 and 141 are pivoted to rod 13 at 142 and 143 respectively. In the lower pair of arms, arm 144i is pivoted to rod 15 at 146, and the other arm of the lower pair, not shown, is similarly pivotally attached to rod 15. The upper arms 140 and 141 are actuated into oscillatory arcuate motion about rod 13 by a link 15d connected at its lower end to a crank pin 152 (see FIG. 3) carried by an enlarged head 154 on main shaft 36 and pivotally connected at its upper end to a wrist pin 156 extending between arms 141i and 141.

The path of the pigmentedstrip tape in the present device commences at the supply roll indicated generally at 161i and carried on the hub 162 Xed to the flange 70. The tape then passes around the guide idler 16e (see FIG. 2) and thence across the face 132 of the type element 131 and around the guide idler 166. The tape then continues around the drum 121i, being held in contact therewith by suitable pressure means such as a resilient roller 168 and the tape continues upwardly as seen in FIG. 2 to enter the inclined guide means indicated generally at 17?. The latter element consists of a smooth ilat surface 172 bounded laterally by guide flanges 174 and 176. The guideway is suitably supported as by the arm 178 which is fined to the plate 5@ at one end and attached as by welding or other suitable means to the guideway at its outer end. Additional support means may be provided such as the arm 18@ extending upwardly from the outer end of the support rod 13. The strip tape passes across. the guideway 17@ to the takeup zone indicated generally at 72 between the flanges 74 and 7 6.

Hub 162 may be provided with suitable means for imposing frictional drag on supply roll 16) such as resilient member 182 (see FlG. 6) mounted in a recess in the hub.

and adapted to bear outwardly on the inner surface of spool 1&4 on which the supply roll is wound.

With reference now to FIG. 7, the takeup hub 75 has a coaxial bore 19% extending therethrough for frictionally receiving the lower end of counter shaft 6i) so that rotation of the counter shaft rotates hub 75 and upper flange 74 fixed thereto. Means are provided for both attaching the end of the tape to the hub and for assembling lower flange 76 onto the hub. Thus hub 75 is provided with a number of longitudinally extending circumferentially spaced grooves 194, each adapted to frictionally slidably receive one of the opstanding pins 1% mounted on flange 76. The pins are longitudinally slotted at 196 for receiving therein portions of the first lay of tape 197 wound on hub 75, as is best seen in the left half of FIG. 6. The depth of groove 194 is such that the slot 196 substantially coincides with the circumference of hub 75. Thus, in attaching the tape to the hub, the tape end portion or leader 197 (the tape thickness in FIG. 6 being somewhat exaggerated for clarity of presentation) is laid across the hub. Then ilange 76 with its pins is mounted on the hub with the tape leader being received in at least one of the pin slots. Now manual rotation of flange 76 counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 6 causes the tape leader to be turned back on itself as indicated at 198, so that the tape is eectively locked to the hub. The construction also facilitates removal of a used roll, since flange 76 is merely moved downwardly as seen in FIG. 1, thus withdrawing the pins 19S and permitting complete removal or the roll of used tape. Mounting of a new tape roll on hub 152 is simply done, since llange 74 is retained on the end of shaft 6G only by friction. Thus flange 74 is pulled downwardly as seen in FlG. l, a new roll of tape is mounted on hub 162, and flange 74 is replaced on the lower end of the shaft. it is to be noted that a very compact and easily manipulated arrangement results from the fact that the two spools are coaxial and that flange 74 serves as a common boundary element for both the supply and takeup spools.

In operation the tape transport mechanism is actuated to transport the tape during the retracting stroke of the printing head 1313. Thus in FIG. 2 the printing mechanism is shown just after it has made a printing impression and has begun its retraction movement and the transport pawl and ratchet are commencing their function of rotation of drum 129 to bring a new portion of tape into position beneath type face 132.

Throughout the several views a number of arrows have been placed on or adjacent various of the moving parts to indicate the direction of their movement during operation. It will be understood that the printer is operated through main shaft 36 and gear 4i) from any suitable source or" rotational power which may be actuated by timing devices of known construction, the details of which form no part of the present invention.

Accordingly, it will be seen that there is here provided a marking or printing device for using in connection with wrapping machinery or the like and particularly adapted for convenience of use in cramped quarters where the machine must operate and be periodically serviced and resupplied with tape under relatively inaccessible conditions. Modications and changes from the particular preferred embodiment of the invention hereinabove shown and described are within the contemplation of the invention and are intended to be embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A printer for attachment to a power driven machine comprising: an elongated frame; a drive shaft adapted to be connected to a source of rotational power; a printing head mounted for reciprocating movement relative to said frame and provided with a type element at one end of the head; crank means actuated by rotation of the shaft for moving the head to cyclically force the type element into extended printing position and to retract the element; a supply roll of pigmented tape rotatably mounted on a hub; a takeup spool assembly adjacent and coaxial with said hub including a ilange detachably carried adjacent said hub for retaining said roll on the hub; transport means for periodically moving the tape in timed relation with retracting movement of the printing head; guide means for guiding the tape from the supply roll on the hub, across the face of the type element, into engagement with the transport means and onto the takeup spool; and means actuated by the drive shaft for constantly frictionally urging the takeup spool to wind tape thereon.

2. The invention as stated in claim 1 wherein said frictionally urging means includes means for selectively adjusting the amount of friction driving the takeup spool.

3. The invention as stated in claim 1 wherein said frame includes means for mounting on a machine structural element and permitting longitudinal adjustment of the frame and drive shaft relative to the machine.

4. The invention as stated in claim 1 wherein said guide means includes a guideway slightly inclined to the perpendicular to the axis of said hub and spool assembly and adapted to guide tape from alignment with the hub into alignment with the takeup spool assembly.

5. The invention as stated in claim l wherein said talceup spool assembly includes a hub having a plurality of arcuately spaced longitudinally extending grooves and a removable ange having a plurality of pins adapted to be slidably received in the grooves and provided with longitudinal slots for receiving end portions of tape, the slots being substantially coincident with the circumference of the hub.

6. 1n a printing device having a printing head adapted to print through pigmented tape onto a work surface in timed relation with movement of a source of mechanical power and transport means for periodically moving the tape between successive printing operations, the provision of a takeup spool assembly for the pigmented tape including a rotatable hub and a ilange removably mounted on the hub, the circumference of the hub being interrupted by a plurality of angularly spaced grooves extending parallel to the hub axis and the flange carrying an equal number of hxed, outwardly projecting elongated members frictionally receivable in the grooves, each member being bifurcated by a tape receiving slot substantially coincident with said circumference when the flange is mounted on the hub with the members received in the grooves.

7. The invention as stated in claim 6 wherein said hub is rotated by the mechanical power source.

8. In a printing device having a frame mounting a printing head adapted to print through pigmented tape onto a work surface in timed relation with movement of a source of mechanical power and transport means for periodically moving the tape between successive printing operations, the provision of a shaft rotatably mounted on the frame and driven by said source, a supply spool having a rst flange and a hub xedly mounted on the frame and a second ange removably mounted on the shaft adjacent said hub and in spaced parallel relation with the first flange, a takeup hub fixed to said second flange and a third flange removably carried on the takeup hub in spaced parallel relation with the second flange.

9. The invention as stated in claim 8 including selectively adjustable friction clutch means for driving the shaft by the source.

l0. The invention as stated in clairn 8 including guide means having a guideway slightly inclined to a plane perpendicular to said shaft whereby the tape is gradually shifted from alignment with one of said spools to alignment with the other.

11. A printer for attachment to a power driven machine comprising: a horizontally extending elongated frame; means at one end of said frame for attachment thereof to a machine structural member; a main shaft rotatably mounted in the frame and extending longitudinally thereof including means at said one end for longitudinally Y the type element; means driven by the main shaft for periodically moving the printing head into printing position and for transporting said tape relative to the type element during non-printing periods; a counter shaft rotatably mounted at the other end of the frame parallel toand spaced laterally from the main shaft; means interconnecting the main shaft and counter shaft for frictionally driving Vthe latter by the former; a tape supply hub xedly mounted on said other end of the frame coaXially with the counter shaft; and a tape takeup hub removably carried on the counter shaft and rotatable therewith ad- Y jacent the tape supply hub.

V'shaft relative to a machine structural member and a source of rotational power respectively, the provision of: a printing head and type element movably mounted on said frame; a tape supply .hub iixedly mounted on the frame and a takeup hub rotatably and removably carried ,by `the frame; means establishing a pathway for printing tape from the supply hub', across the type element and to the taireup hub; means driven by the shaft for periodically moving the printing head into printing position, for transporting the tape during non-printing periods and for applying takeup torque to the takeup hub; said printing head, supply and takeup hubs, pathway establishing means and means driven by the shaft all being disposed at the other end of theframe spaced from said one end, and the takeup hub being removable by movement thereof away from said one frame end.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 506,581 Boyce et al. Oct. 10, 1893 809,378 Kay Jan. 9, 1906 1,132,623 Schutz Mar. 23, 1915 1,172,349 Frappier Feb. 22, 1916 1,614,064 Gunning et al. Jan. 11, 1927 V1,831,264 Schneider Nov. 10, 1931 2,271,326 Bird Jan. 27, 1942 2,883,029 Gray Apr. 21, 1959 2,909,991 Farkas Oct. 27, 1959 2,923,232 Worth Feb. 2, 1960 Y 2,946,533 Johnston July 26 1960 

1. A PRINTER FOR ATTACHMENT TO A POWER DRIVEN MACHINE COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED FRAME; A DRIVE SHAFT ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF ROTATIONAL POWER; A PRINTING HEAD MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME AND PROVIDED WITH A TYPE ELEMENT AT ONE END OF THE HEAD; CRANK MEANS ACTUATED BY ROTATION OF THE SHAFT FOR MOVING THE HEAD TO CYCLICALLY FORCE THE TYPE ELEMENT INTO EXTENDED PRINTING POSITION AND TO RETRACT THE ELEMENT; A SUPPLY ROLL OF PIGMENTED TAPE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON A HUB; A TAKEUP SPOOL ASSEMBLY ADJACENT AND COAXIAL WITH SAID HUB INCLUDING A FLANGE DETACHABLY CARRIED ADJACENT SAID HUB FOR RETAINING SAID ROLL ON THE HUB; TRANSPORT MEANS FOR PERIODICALLY MOVING THE TAPE IN TIMED RELATION WITH RETRACTING MOVEMENT OF THE PRINTING HEAD; GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING THE TAPE FROM THE SUPPLY ROLL ON THE HUB, ACROSS THE FACE OF THE TYPE ELEMENT, INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TRANSPORT MEANS AND ONTO THE TAKEUP SPOOL; AND MEANS ACTUATED BY THE DRIVE SHAFT FOR CONSTANTLY FRICTIONALLY URGING THE TAKEUP SPOOL TO WIND TAPE THEREON. 